Lothaire of Italy

Lothaire of Italy (795-20 September 855) was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 817 to 855 (succeeding Louis of West Francia and preceding Louis II of Italy), King of Italy from 818 to 855 (succeeding Bernard of Italy and preceding Louis II), and King of Middle Francia from 843 to 855 (succeeding Louis of West Francia and preceding Lothaire II of Lotharingia and Charles of Provence).

Biography
Lothaire was born in 795 to Louis of West Francia and Ermengarde of Hesbaye, and was a French Christian scion of the House of Karling. Lothaire was the brother of Pippin I of Aquitaine and Louis II of East Francia, and Lothair led his brothers in revolt against their father to protest his attempts to make their brother Charles II of West Francia a co-heir to the Frankish Empire. When their father died, Charles and Louis turned to fight against Lothaire from 840 to 843, which included a defeat for Lothaire's army at the Battle of Fontenoy, which cost him 40,000 out of his 150,000 troops. The struggles between the brothers led to the breakup of the Frankish Empire that Charlemagne established, and laid the foundation for the development of present-day France and Germany.